Stole His Heart.

Fireside Bonds

The weekend had come to an end, and I woke up to the sound of my phone alarm on an icy morning. Groggily, I got ready and headed downstairs to find my older brother, Alex, and my younger sister, Lily, having breakfast. They were enjoying waffles, my absolute favorite. Mom had already left for work.

"Morning, Nika!" Alex greeted me with a grin. "How's school? Any juicy stories to share?"

I rolled my eyes playfully, knowing exactly what was coming next. "Oh, you know, the usual," I replied with a smirk. "But guess what? I had an unexpected encounter with someone over the weekend."

That was all Alex needed to hear. He pounced with an excited gleam in his eyes, bombarding me with countless questions, all in good fun. "Who is this mysterious someone? Do I know them? Are they cute? Tell me everything!"

"Slow down, Sherlock," I chuckled, trying to keep up with his rapid-fire questioning. "His name is Wyatt, and he's a guy I met while watching his soccer practice. We ended up having a snowball fight together. That's all, really."

"Oooh, Wyatt!" Alex teased, waggling his eyebrows. "Sounds like you had quite the adventure! Are you blushing, little sister?"

I playfully swatted at him, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "Stop it, Alex! It's not like that. We're just friends."

"Mmm-hmm, sure you are," he teased, but seeing that I was getting flustered, he let me off the hook. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. But you better tell me all the juicy details later!"

I rolled my eyes again, but deep down, I appreciated Alex's playful nature. Finishing my breakfast, I excused myself and headed back upstairs to change into my school clothes and do my hair. Just as I was getting ready, I heard my older brother's voice.

''Nika! someone's at the door for you!'' He yelled from downstairs.

Confused, I made my way downstairs after finishing my hair, only to be surprised by Wyatt standing there with that warm smile of his.

"Hey," he greeted me, looking as charming as ever. "Ready for school?"

I was taken aback, not expecting to see him at my place this early in the morning. "Uh, yeah, I am," I stammered, trying to hide my surprise.

Alex, sensing the moment, playfully excused himself, leaving Wyatt and me to walk to school together. As we stepped outside, the crisp air hit us, and I adjusted my scarf to keep warm.

"So, how was your weekend?" Wyatt asked, breaking the silence.

"It was good, thanks," I replied with a smile. "The snowball fight we had was definitely the highlight."

"I had a lot of fun too," he said, grinning. "But hey, I was thinking, since we had such a great time, do you want to hang out again sometime?"

I felt a rush of excitement at the idea. "Sure, I'd like that," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

As we continued walking, Wyatt asked me about my classes for the day, I looked at him with a raised brow. 

''I have basketball first, though I'm not really enthusiastic about it.'' I mentioned.

Wyatt chuckled, teasing me gently. "Basketball, huh? Well, don't worry, I'll be on the benches watching you, just like you did during my soccer practice."

I couldn't help but smile, grateful for his support. "Thanks, but you don't have to. It's not that big of a deal," I replied, feeling a bit shy about the whole situation.

But Wyatt reassured me with a friendly pat on the back. "Hey, I want to see you in action. You never know, you might surprise yourself."

Arriving at school, we bid each other goodbye before heading to our respective classes. Once in the dressing rooms, I changed into my sports attire for basketball practice. As I made my way to the court, I spotted Wyatt already waiting for me, and we exchanged smiles.